ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
December 9 2015
65
231
43 84 431 331
84
84 52
Vol. XXVIII • No. 25
31
45
Dothan
65
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Two Schools to Transform Trussville’s Landscape Near Birmingham, Ala., construction crews are working on two major school projects that will further unite a community. Magnolia Elementary School and Cahaba Elementary are both scheduled to open next year. “One school is new construction on the southern end of the city, and one is the renovation of an FDR resettlement project from the 1930s in the center of town,” said Dr. Pattie Neill, Trussville school superintendent. “The renovation project will restore and preserve a school that is on the National Historic Register and has been vacant for the last five years. We are thrilled to bring this old building back to life and reignite part of the history of our community, while creating a much needed educational service for our youngest students.” According to Neill, two new elementary schools will allow Trussville to finally look like a city school system. “We inherited one large elementary school from Jefferson County when we formed our own school system 10 years ago.” Trussville, recognized as one of the most liveable cities in the country, also has been listed among the ten best towns in Alabama for young families; however, overcrowding at the elementary level increases each year. There are currently 300 elementary students in portable classrooms on the Paine Elementary School campus, and the portables are considered a safety risk in the areas of security and inclement weather. “Our students deserve better than this,”said Neill. “We are creating two new neighborhood schools to relieve the overcrowded conditions and educate students closer to their homes.” The Trussville system will include three separate elementary schools when construction is completed. Both the new schools — one in the Cahaba Project and the other in Magnolia Place — will be able to accommodate as many as 500 students. The original plans called for 400 students, but with enrollment expected to grow, the change was needed. Officials launched a tax campaign to provide information to the community about the two new schools. A seven-millage property tax increase was approved 59 percent to 41 percent, to provide funding for the projects in February 2014. Argo Building Company of Birmingham is serving as the general contractor on the Magnolia project, with a contract value of $13.7 million. Gary Niven, Argo Building Company president, said the company is currently installing base and binder on the entry drives and parking lots. “We are completing the last of the storm piping, and are roughing the slab for a second pour of concrete. Masons are also working on the storm shelter.”
By Cindy Riley
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Road widening to access the school has already been completed, as well as utilities
Road widening to access the school has already been completed, as well as utilities that include gas, water, sewer and water for fires. Blasting at the site also had to be performed. “Prior to bidding the project, the owner had a site exploration done that revealed we would encounter rock at the northwest corner of the site,” Niven said. “The blasting was done to get the rock removed, so that we could get the build-
ing pad to elevation and allow for the utility trenches.” Niven said the biggest challenges overall on the Magnolia job have included the short time frame, dealing with a site that involved a lot of clearing and tackling earthwork during the rainy season. “The storm shelter is a difficult aspect of the project because of all the reinforcement in the walls. It takes three see SCHOOLS page 2